Age discrimination is definitely real and I don’t know any way around it? I’ve fixed my résumé even used AI to make it the best it can be. I have 32 years of experience in territory sales management & the best I can find is a low wage part-time position. 5-10 years ago I got much more offers. PS, I’m 55yo

I'm hearing the rule of thumb is listing the last 10-15 years of experience, which can be 1-3 job for a lot of us older folks.
Can we get employers to remove the date requirements on the applications? Can we get the employers to remove the rate of pay required fields on the applications? If we're older, do we remember our exact rate of pay for each job 20 years ago? Can the applications have a summary section (after the required 15 years of workplace detail) where we list fields of expertise rather than jobs one by one? And are employers really looking for employees who will stay more than 4 years? Most job hop faster than a rabbit! At least you'd get great performance from an elder employee for 4 years!

A while back I took my daughter to an employment fair. One of the hiring companies there was Petco. They were opening a new store in our area and needed to fill all positions. While my daughter was talking to one of the representatives, out of curiosity I asked another one if they were hiring managers (my daughter had on the job training in management), they said yes. I asked further if they were hiring for general manager. At that point this pretty lady with very long blonde hair leaned over the table, smiled a big beautiful smile and said, “Awwww! Wouldn’t you really rather be home playing with your grandkids”? She had stated that she was the head of HR! She looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. I was in my 50’s at the time and gainfully employed as a general manager, so while it was no skin off my back at the time, it was certainly a big eye opener how brazenly some companies skirt the law.

They won't hire you after age 55 it seems any where yet the retirement age keeps going up. Granted we're able to work, the problem is finding and getting the job. Not that we can't, they won't.. So retirement will be 72 here and by the time I hit 72 it'll be 82 so I don't plan on ever being able to retire or get social security, I'll die looking for a job before that happens. But for real. When you can't get employment even tho you can and are willing to work, how do they expect you to survive.. Instead of increasing the retirement age they need to give incentives to companies for hiring the 55 and over crowd. If they can do it for companies to hire felons... Like they do at nursing homes.. 75% of most employees at any nursing home in the US is staffed with convicted felons. Because they get a huge tax break and yearly bonuses for hiring and then keeping them on every year thereafter.. Some construction companies are now also being offered the same.. That's great if you a man.. But they forget about the women.. Or the single women that support themselves and can't catch a fucking break for anything. Yet you don't qualify for any welfare assistance anymore because your a white female American citizen. Of which that used to be what you had to be to get assistant. Now you don't because of it. And unemployment.. I don't know who does their algorithms for reporting the employment status every year but you'd think after all the covid 19 deaths and then the Ice deportations there would be plenty of jobs out there available and a variety of them as well, but there isn't. So the mathematician that makes that shit up for what benefit should be fired!! I'll be having paid into social security all my life but the first 13 years of life and you think I'll ever see a penny. Life expectancy has gone up. But not by that much. It's still around 68-70 years. So what. We can't retire til we're already dead 2 years. What's the point of paying into it if we won't ever see it. How can you stop them​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​other than becoming self employed and work part time. Less than the deduction rate of said year and you don't have to claim any income. But you can't survive a year under 15k. I mean I actually did but my house was paid off, no car payments, but no extra spending either. No Christmas.. Which the immigrants have removed for us any way along with all the other usa holidays and incerted theirs and then claimed racism for their beliefs etc.. There's no extra spending that's for damn sure and I did qualify for low income energy assistance. That was $450 to be split between the elective provider and gas provider for a Minnesota winter.. So basically one month​​​​​of billing for each.. Granted it did help. I also lost weight, as I cut back on my food intake. Went on the growl diet. Don't eat til your stomach growls.. Because you can't afford to buy groceries. You learn to buy microwave meals or premade salads and sandwiches. ​​​​​​​​​​

It’s really hard after 50 if you aren’t established in a company to stick with.

Have you gotten any interviews? I would say if you’re getting interviews but not getting the job that you need a little revamp on your look. Consider going to a dermatologist and seeing what things you can do and if you’re not coloring your hair, I would definitely do that and think about upgrading your wardrobe.

I actually went to an interview and as soon as the supervisor saw me, they said they were looking for someone younger. Then they had the audacity to say, but my resume was excellent!

Age discrimination is real. My first experience was when my district manager told me not to hire someone because they were 61 years old and would not be a long term employee. My mistake was not reporting him.
Then while it was quiet and subtle I started feeling it myself. I was 65, i had acquired an autoimmune condition that made it harder physicaly. This DM insisted i hire someone who could replace me. She actively did whatever she could to get me gone. I fought back but the DM had ruined my reputation with the higher ups. After that no matter what occurred my integrity was questioned. I finally retired using my condition as my reason. The real reason was they had made me feel less than what I was. My credibility and reputation had been ruined.

I mean. I'm mid 30s and been doing my job for over 10 years, and its been basically impossible for me to find anything else to try and change into too. While I think your argument is valid theres more to it than just that. It seems like nobody wants to actually pay anybody what they are worth these days

I'm finding this as well! 57, excellent and highly skilled. But being passed over for young and inexperienced.

Age discrimination? Wait until I tell you about the disparities of race discrimination!

It certainly is,I applied for an apprenticeship with South West train and because I was over 19 I got turned down,gender is also very favourable aswell

Very very true!! I always get to the 3rd round and when it’s a face to face or video they tend not to offer me the position!! I’ve been looking for over 1 1/2 years and I never had this problem!!

I removed anything before 2015. I didn't put the year that I graduated from college. I removed anything that I thought was a positive, but turned out to simply show my age. Example: "I have 25 years of experience." Get rid of all of that in your resume. After removing anything showing my true age, I got calls the next day.

If you live in California I’d try to get a State job.

My resume is immaculate. My experience is on point. I get responses and interviews from applications, but as soon as you walk through the door you can see it on their faces. You just wasted your time and gas because they have just judged you wrong for the job.

100%. I've been trying to find work in either estate agency or kitchen/bathroom design for over three years. I'm qualified for both.

The rhetoric and policies around "inclusivity" are meaningless box ticking. Of course nobody says "You're too old" or "You're no longer attractive enough to align with our corporate image and be a credible face for our customers." It's couched in more subtle language like "We have concerns about your stamina" or "Wouldn't you struggle to work full time?" On one occasion, I was accidentally copied into a disparaging email between the recruiter and a senior colleague. Of course they were embarrassed but I still wasn't offered an interview. In a way I appreciate the honesty -it's better than being left with the impression that you're considered incompetent - but it's frustrating that the thing that could be making me unemployable is the one thing I can't do anything about.

You can be President of the USA without mental capacity and on your last legs but try getting a job in a kitchen showroom past 60. I'm fit and well and compos mentis but, as others have commented, you usually don't even get the courtesy of an acknowledgement let alone an interview.

So true I have been looking and aserting myself for 2 years. Not even a no thank you 💔

I am experiencing this, since April last year, I have applied for well over 800 jobs in the retail sector and ive had, maybe 8 interviews.
I got made redundant from WHSmiths in early April last year, just as they changed it to TG Jones, I was in retail line working for 3 and a half years.
I have applied for 9 jobs in the WHSmith travel shops, only to be told, I do not have the relative experience. I dont know how much more relative they want when I worked for them for over 3 years.
I have noticed a lot of places are tending to employ the younger generation, it has really got me down just lately.
Im only 50 and didnt think this would happen, but I guess it does, now more than ever.

Ageism is real! It’s a thing! And it sucks!

Funny seeing this- my fb post JUST LAST WEEK

Ageism is a real thing in hospitality… and chances are, this post might get deleted again.
But that doesn’t make it any less real.

I’ve walked into interview after interview—polished, prepared, with decades of experience, loyal guests, and a work ethic that hasn’t faded one bit. I hear the same words over and over: “Wow, your resume is amazing… we could really use someone like you.”
And then… silence.

No call back. No follow-up. Just another door that quietly closes.

This industry talks a lot about experience, about guest connection, about professionalism—but somewhere along the line, experience started being mistaken for “too old,” and that’s a hard truth to sit with.

Because here’s what doesn’t get talked about enough:
The ability to read a table before they even speak.
The instinct to turn a bad moment into a loyal regular.
The stamina to handle a slammed Saturday night with grace.
The pride in doing things the right way, even when no one is watching.

That doesn’t disappear with age—it gets sharper.

I’m not writing this for sympathy. I’m writing this because it’s happening, not just to me, but to so many people who still have so much to give.

And I’m still here.

Still showing up.
Still applying.
Still building my business.
Still believing there is a place that values what I bring to the table.

Because resilience doesn’t come from everything going right—
it comes from deciding you’re not done, even when things feel stacked against you.

So if you’re feeling this too… you’re not alone.
And if no one’s called you back yet, it doesn’t mean you don’t belong—it just means the right place hasn’t recognized you yet.

I’m not done. Not even close.

— feeling determined.

I have 35+ years of experience and all I get are crickets…no one wants experienced workers just college graduates in a field that doesn’t need a degree (secretarial). It’s ridiculous and highly suspicious that I can’t even get an interview…(60yo). I only have 7years to go to fully retire again…Ageism is real!

Yes, you’re correct. There’s nothing we can really do about it because it’s impossible to prove.